Beware of Bacteria-laden Sponges Arriving in the Mail, Possibly From Terrorists–Fiction!
Summary of eRumor:
An email from a woman who says she got a warning from her boss who got word from her mother who got word from her son who is in the military. The warning is military sources say that people associated with the terrorists that have attacked America have mailed, or may be about to mail, dangerous envelopes to U.S. Citizens. The envelopes look like a product promotion and say “Free Sponge Inside!” The warning is to not open the envelope because the sponge inside has a bacteria on it that the email refers to as “damaging.” The email also says the scheme is the “new culprit.”
The Truth:
This is a hoax. It is a variation of another widely-circulated about The Klingerman virus. The difference is that this eRumor claims that an envelope will arrive with a bacteria-tainted sponge inside. It doesn’t describe what effect the bacteria will have. The Klingerman hoax says that a
blue envelope will come in the mail from what is called The Klingerman Foundation and that a sponge inside is instantly fatal if touched.
This eRumor also describes this danger as the “new culprit.” We are guessing that is a reference to speculation about what the next step of the terrorists who attacked American will be.